Payments FAQ

Payments FAQs

Common questions (and answers) about eCatholic Donations & Payments

General Questions

What is eCatholic Payments?

eCatholic Payments is a quick and easy way for Catholic parishes, dioceses, schools, and ministries to accept online donations and payments - anytime, anywhere. Visitors can make one-time or recurring donations, as well as submit payments for events, registrations, tuition, and more - all without ever leaving the website.

Can I use eCatholic Payments for events, registrations, faith formation, tuition, and other payment-related activities?

Absolutely! eCatholic Payments integrates with your online forms on your eCatholic website, so you can accept payments for events, registrations, tuition, and more. And it's all one seamless experience for your visitors.

Can I use eCatholic Payments if I don't have an eCatholic website?

One of the great benefits of eCatholic Payments is that it is fully integrated into your eCatholic website. eCatholic Payments is different than many other online payment solutions; eCatholic Payments lets visitors pay online without ever having to leave your website. This provides a more seamless and trusting experience for them, which leads to more donations and payments for you!

What is the process for signing up for eCatholic Payments?

Signing up for eCatholic Payments is quick and easy, just use the button below to begin:

After signing up for eCatholic Payments, you'll then be directed to sign up for your merchant account with CardConnect. Through our partnership with CardConnect, we've created a simple, short form that allows you to sign up for your merchant account in just a couple of minutes. You may use the following tutorial as a guide: How to complete the CardConnect Merchant Application.

How long does it take for eCatholic Payments to be enabled on my website after I sign up?

The approval and set up of your CardConnect merchant account typically takes 24-48 hours (business days). Once your merchant account is ready to go, we can configure your website in a few minutes and then you'll be ready to start accepting online donations and payments through your eCatholic website.

Can donors update their payment information or other details themselves without having to contact me directly?

Yes! You can easily enable Donor Self-Management for your account, which would let your donors set up an account via which they can manage their transactions online 24/7.

What are the prices and fees for using eCatholic Payments?

We believe pricing should be simple, clear, and cost-effective. We've partnered with CardConnect to be able to provide you with exclusive low pricing for credit/debit card processing and bank account transfers (ACH). Here's a pricing breakdown:

For a $100 donation/payment via a bank account transfer (ACH), you'll pay eCatholic $1 and the transaction fees through CardConnect will be $0.35.

For a $100 donation/payment via a debit card, you'll pay eCatholic $1 and the transaction fees through CardConnect will be around $1.00.

For a $100 donation/payment via a credit card, you'll pay eCatholic $1 and the transaction fees through CardConnect will be around $2.30.

Are we charged a certain amount per donor?

No. Whether you have 5 donors or more than 5,000, you’ll only pay the $20/month CardConnet fee + transaction fees.

Are there any long-term contracts associated with eCatholic Payments?

No, there are no long-term contracts for eCatholic Payments or with CardConnect. You can cancel at any time.

When do fees get billed and how will they show up in our bank account?

Transaction fees are NOT withdrawn at the time that daily deposits are made into your bank account. Instead, transaction fees are grouped together and charged once a month.

The processing fees and monthly service fee from CardConnect will be automatically debited from your bank account once a month. The monthly service fee and credit card fees will appear as one line item labeled "MTOT" and the fees related to bank account transfers (ACH) will appear as a separate line item labeled "BluePay".

The 1% fee for eCatholic Payments will be processed once a month around the 1st of the month and will appear as one line item labeled "eCatholic Sheenomo" on your bank statement. We'll also email you a sales receipt at that time.

Processing Questions

What is a merchant account?

In order to accept online donations and payments, you need the following:

An easy way for visitors to provide their credit card or banking information.

A way to process transactions and transfer money from the visitor's account into your bank account.

eCatholic Payments provides number one.

For number two, you'll need a merchant account that handles the validation and processing of the transactions, as well as the storage of the transactional information. For eCatholic Payments, we've partnered with CardConnect to provide you with a merchant account with exclusive low pricing for credit card processing and bank account transfers (ACH).

Can I use my existing merchant account if I already have one?

No, in order to use eCatholic Payments, you'll need to set up a new merchant account through our partnership with CardConnect. Don't worry, it's quick and simple and part of the sign up process for eCatholic Payments.

How quickly does my money get deposited in our bank account?

Payments made via credit and debit cards are typically deposited into your bank account within 48 hours. Payments made via eCheck (bank account transfers) usually take about 5-6 days to be deposited into your bank account.

Can we use a card reader with a mobile device with eCatholic Payments?

CardConnect, our merchant account partner, offers a mobile card reader that can be used with tablets and smartphones. For more information, give us a call.

Security Questions

Are transactions on my website secure?

Absolutely! When your website visitors view a page that includes eCatholic Payments, the page is served up using 256-bit encryption, which means that the page loads using HTTPS. This way, the visitor's sensitive financial information is securely transmitted throughout the payment process.

Do we need to purchase an SSL certificate to use eCatholic Payments?

No, we've got you covered!

When accepting online donations and payments through your website, you would typically have to purchase and install an SSL certificate for your domain name. SSL certificates usually cost around $100 per year.

However, with eCatholic Payments, you don't need to hassle with purchasing and installing an SSL certificate; free SSL is included with your eCatholic website hosting package! Since eCatholic Payments seamlessly integrates with your eCatholic website, you're good to go. Whenever a visitor arrives at a page of your website to make a payment or donation, the page is automatically loaded at HTTPS for a secure, encrypted connection.

What is PCI Compliance?

PCI stands for "Payment Card Industry" and PCI Compliance is a set of requirements designed to ensure that all organizations that process, store, or transmit credit card information do so under the tightest controls and security possible in order to reduce the potential for fraud. All organizations with a merchant account are required to be PCI Compliant. When you sign up for eCatholic Payments, you will sign up for a merchant account with CardConnect and you will therefore be required to maintain PCI Compliance.

To become and remain PCI Compliant, you must complete an online PCI Compliance questionnaire once a year stating that you are following all relevant PCI Compliance guidelines. We've created a tutorial to walk you through the survey:

There are also yearly fees (around $100) that must be paid to the company that provides the annual PCI Compliance questionnaire survey (ControlScan). These fees, along with an annual IRS Regulatory Fee (around $60) are covered as part of the $20 Monthly Service Fee that you pay to CardConnect.

You have 90 days from the time that you sign up for eCatholic Payments to complete your PCI Compliance questionnaire survey as outlined above, and then the survey must be resubmitted annually thereafter. A monthly PCI non-compliance fee of $39.95 is assessed to any organization with a merchant account that is not PCI Compliant until they become PCI Compliant.

Are eCatholic and CardConnect PCI Compliant?

Yes, as the software provider that makes online donations and payments possible through your website, eCatholic is PCI Compliant.

Yes, CardConnect, the company that we've partnered with to handle the processing and storage of the transactions made through eCatholic Payments on your website, is LEVEL 1 PCI Certified (the highest possible level of PCI Compliance).

What happens if there is fraudulent activity on our account?

If fraudulent activity is detected on your account, CardConnect and our eCatholic team work together to enable fraud management tools on the account. The CardConnect Risk Team will contact you (the merchant) directly with the steps necessary to take. Our eCatholic team is available to assist as well.

If you are using CardConnect/eCatholic Payments and fraudulent activity does occur on your account, your organization will not be held liable.

Other Questions

Can I export transactions processed through eCatholic Payments?

Yes! You can easily search and filter transactions by a variety of options and then download the results as a CSV file. You can then use the CSV file to import the transactions into your member management software and/or accounting software, assuming your software allows for CSV imports.

Is there a charge for running reports or downloading CSV files?

No, all reporting and exporting of CSV files is included in our pricing.

Is there an extra charge for support? How do I get help when I have a question?

Your eCatholic Payments subscription includes unlimited support - there are no extra fees! Your site's Admin Users can give us a phone call (877-932-1776 ext. 2) or drop us an email (support@eCatholic.com) and we'll be there to lend a hand!

Still have questions? Let's chat!

Have a question we didn't cover here? You're not at the end of the rope yet. Our team is here to help (with a smile).